David Binder announced July 23 that the hit revival of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, starring James Franco, Chris O'Dowd, Leighton Meester and Jim Norton, has been selected as the first Broadway show to be filmed by National Theatre Live.

James Franco
Photo by Richard Phibbs

Directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro, Of Mice and Men will be filmed at the Longacre Theatre (220 West 48 Street) and distributed by National Theatre Live. Screening dates will be announced shortly.

“We are thrilled to be working with David Binder and his Of Mice and Men team, and to include this great production of an American classic in our National Theatre Live program,” said David Sabel, the National Theatre’s Director of Broadcast and Digital, in a statement. “These broadcasts have enabled millions more people around the world to see great theatre from the UK and now the US.”

“We are humbled that Of Mice and Men will be the first Broadway show National Theatre Live will be adding to their prestigious series of over 40 UK productions,” added Tony Award-winning producer Binder. “I can’t think of a greater honor that could be bestowed on this production of Steinbeck’s masterwork than to have an opportunity for millions of theater lovers around the world to see our production under the auspices of National Theatre Live.”

Of Mice and Men was the first production of the spring to recoup its full capitalization, doing so in 12 weeks. The revival officially opened April 16 and will end its run July 27.

The cast also features Ron Cephas Jones, Alex Morf, Joel Marsh Garland, James McMenamin, Jim Ortlieb and Jim Parrack. Adapted from his own classic novel, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, according to press notes, is "an essential adventure, an inspirational portrait of the American spirit and a heartbreaking testament to the bonds of friendship.… [The play] tells the story of George (James Franco) and Lennie (Chris O'Dowd), an unlikely pair of friends drifting from job to job across the farms and fields of California, holding fast to their dream of one day having an acre of land they can call their own."

The production also has scenic design by Tony Award winner Todd Rosenthal, costume design by Emmy winner Suttirat Larlarb, lighting design by 2014 Tony Award nominee Japhy Weideman, sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen, original music by David Singer, fight direction by Thomas Schall, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and casting by Calleri Casting.